Soil compaction machine



March 15, 1966 MCRAE ET L 3,240,134

SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE Filed March 29, 1963 '7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORJMarch 1966 J. L. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed March 29, 1963 INVENTORS M? 245, c/OJEPH I? Jul-5L0 CK/I Arroemrsvs.

March 15, 1966 J. 1.. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet5 Filed March 29, 1965 INVENTORS J. L. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTIONMACHINE March 15, 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed March 29, 1963 INVENTORS MFG/7E,

March 15, 1966 J. L. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed March 29, 1963 INVENTORS c/Of/A/ L MFEAE,

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March 15, 1966 McRAE ETAL 3,240,134

SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE Filed March 29, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 FIG. Q.

INVENTORJ Jay/v 4. M8646,

MOSfPI/ 1' WASLOCK/ United States Patent 3,240,134 SOIL COMPACTIONMACHINE John L. McRae, 416 Groome Drive, and Joseph P. Wislocki, 110Evelyn St, both of Vicksburg, Miss. Filed Mar. 29, 1963, Ser. No.268,908 7 Claims. (CI. 94-48) This invention relates to a soilcompaction machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a soil compactionmachine which is adapted for heavy or light duty work.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a soil compactionmachine wherein the tamping units are enable to move vertically withoutundesirable side motion of the units and in a plane at right angles tothe direction of travel of the machine while maintaining the tampingunits in planes parallel to the towing vehicle.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a soilcompaction machine wherein the tamping units are connected to thevehicle so that the tamping units are free to move vertically whilepermitting rotational improvement to a degree such that the tampingunits are accommodated to the contour of the ground surface beingworked, but with no undesirable side motion.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a soilcompaction machine wherein the tamping unit carries a tamping shoeconstructed and arranged so that it readily accommodates itself to theflatness and unevenness of a ground surface during travel of the machineover such ground surface.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a soilcompaction machine which is compact, highly efiicient in action, andcommercially feasible.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a mechanically-operable work vehicletype soil compaction machine according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the machine shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view, with parts broken away, of themachine shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of a hand-steered workvehicle type soil compaction machine according to the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view, with parts ken away, of the machineshown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of themachine shown in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 1(i10 ofFIGURE 9.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 6, the numeral 10 generally designates amechanically-operable work vehicle type soil compaction machineaccording to the present invention which is adapted for heavy duty work.The machine 10 comprises a pair of laterally-spaced ground-engagingwheels 14 which are adapted for travel over a ground surface, anddisposed transversely of and fixedly supported on said Wheels for traveltherewith is an upstanding rigid mounting member 12, the member being inthe form of a housing which is part of an overhead longitudinal frame15, and which is transversely-disposed with respect to the frame 15midway between the forward bro- "ice end 13 and the rearward end 11thereof. Positioned rear- Wardly of the rearward end 11 of the frame 15and operatively attached to the rearward end of the frame 15 is asteering means or a mechanically-operable work vehicle generallyindicated by the numeral 16, the vehicle 16 having a pair oflaterally-spaced ground-engaging driving and steerable rear wheels 18.

A soil compacting unit 20 is disposed forwardly of and in parallelspaced relation with respect to the member or housing 12 adjacent theforward end 13 of the frame 15, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Anothersoil compacting unit 22 of like construction as unit 20 is disposedrearwardly of and in parallel spaced relation with respect to the memberor housing 12 adjacent the rearward end 11 of the frame 15. Each of thesoil compacting units 20 and 22 carries a tamping shoe which dependsfrom and extends completely across the lower ends of the units 20 and22. Thetamping shoe 24 on each of the soil compacting units 20 and 22 isa single shoe which extends along the entire width of each of the units20 and 22 and is fixedly attached thereto.

Stabilizing bars 26, in this instance, two pairs of stabilizing barseach pair arranged in criss-cross relation are disposed so as to extendfrom each of the units 20 and 22 to the mounting member or housing 12,and have their complemental ends universally connected to the member 12or units 20 and 22 as at 27, 28 and 29. The thus described tow barconnections lend flexibility to the tamping units 20 and 22 in that theunits are enabled to move vertically without undesirable side motion ofthe units while permitting rotational movement to a degree such that thesoil compacting units 20 and 22 are accommodated to the contour of theground surface being worked, and in a plane at right angles to thedirection of travel of the machine while maintaining the tamping unitsin planes parallel to the towing vehicle.

The vehicle 16 is provided with a prime mover 30 which is connected to ahydraulic transmission 32 on the vehicle 16 by means of a flexible driveshaft 34, the latter shaft being connected to the prime mover 30 andhydraulic transmission 32 by universal joints 36 and 38 respectively.The transmission 32 is drivingly connected to a hydraulic motor 40 bymeans of a conventional hydraulic system indicated generally by thenumeral 42.

The motor 40 has a horizontally-disposed drive shaft 44 which extendshorizontally through and is rotatably supported in the mounting memberor housing 12, the portion of the shaft 44 within the housing havingkeyed thereon a sprocket 46. It is to be understood that the motor 40 isof the type which may be driven so that the shaft 44 and the sprocket 46carried thereby will rotate in either a clockwise or a counterclockwisedirection. The drive shaft 44 is drivingly connected to a horizontaldriven shaft 48 which is rotatably supported in the mounting member orhousing 12, and which is disposed in parallel relation with respect tothe shaft 44, by means of a driving chain 50 trained over andintermeshing with the sprocket 46 on the shaft 44 and a sprocket 52keyed to the portion of the shaft 48 within the mounting member orhousing 12. The shaft 48 has one end serving as an output one end andprojecting from the mounting member or housing 12 toward the soilcom-pacting unit 28, and has the other end serving as an output otherend and projecting from the mounting member or housing 12 toward thesoil compacting unit 22. The shaft output one end 49 of the shaft 48 isdrivingly connected to a horizontallydisposed input shaft 54 carried bythe soil compacting unit 20 by means of an individual telescopinguniversal joint coupling means 56 which is connected to the output oneend 49 of the shaft 48 and the input shaft 54. The shaft output otherend 51 of the shaft 48 is likewise connected to a horizontally-disposedinput shaft 58 carried by the soil compacting unit 22 by means of a likeindividual telescoping universal joint coupling means 60. The structureof each of the means 56 and 60 is identical, and because of this, onlyone will be specifically described. The means 56 embodies a flexiblecoupling element 55 connected to the input shaft 54, a square shaft 57having one end fixedly connected to the coupling element 55 and havingthe other end portion telescopically receiving a sleeve 59 secured to acomplemental flexible coupling element 61, secured to the shaft outputone end 49 of the shaft 48.

The input shaft 54 of the unit 20 is horizontally-disposed and isrotatably supported in the casing 21 of the unit 20, and housed withinthe casing 21 and operatively connected to the input shaft 54 is avertical thrust-imparting mechanism. The input shaft 58 of the unit 22is likewise horizontally-disposed and is rotatably supported in thecasing 23 of the unit 22, and housed within the casing 23 andoperatively connected to the input shaft 58 is a like verticalthrust-imparting mechanism. Since the thrust-imparting mechanisms areidentical in structure, only one will be specifically described. Thethrust-imparting mechanism in unit 20 comprises a large spur gear 62which is keyed to the input shaft 54, the gear 62 being interposedbetween and meshing with the spur gears 63 and 64 carried by stub shafts65 and 66 respectively. The unit 20 also includes another stub shaft 67to which is keyed a spur gear 68 which is in mesh with the spur gear 64,as clearly shown in FIGURE 5. Eccentric weights 70 are keyed to each ofthe input shaft 54 and the stub shafts 65, 66 and 67. The weights 70 aredisposed on each side of the spur gears 62, 63, 64 and 68. Each of theweights 70 is conformably shaped to a sector of a circle and isfabricated from a flat relatively thick sheet of heavy metal. Rotationof the input shafts 54 and 58 result in imparting a vertical tampingaction to the shoes 24 of the units 20 and 22.

It is important to note that the weights 70 in the casing 21 of the soilcompacting unit 20 are oppositely-disposed to that of the weights 70 inthe casing 23 of the soil compacting unit 22. As shown in FIGURE 6, theweights 70 in the casing 21 of the soil compacting unit 20 are in theupper position while the weights 70 in the casing 23 of the soilcompacting unit 22 are in the opposite or lower position. Of course, asthe driven shaft 48 rotates the weights 70 in the casing 21 of the soilcompacting unit 20 shift from the upper position of FIGURE 6 to thelower position, while the weights 70 in the casing 23 of the soilcompacting unit 22 shift from the lower position of FIGURE 6 to theupper position followed by simultaneous shifting of the weights 70 inthe casing 21 of the unit 20 from the lower position to the upperposition of FIGURE 6 and of the weights 70 in the casing 23 of the unit22 from the upper position to the lower position of FIGURE 6. Thisarrangement results in a balanced flywheel eifect with respect to theconnecting driven shaft 48.

Means is operatively connected to the units 20 and 22 for effectingsimultaneous upward and downward movements to the aforesaid units withrespect to the ground surface, as shown in full and dotted lines inFIGURE 3. Specifically, this means comprises a cable 71 which has oneend fixedly attached to an car 72 carried by the casing 21 of the unit20, and is trained over a pulley 73 carried by a rotatable stub shaft 75on the frame 15, and the other end of the cable 70 being attached toanother pulley 74, also carried by the rotatable shaft 75. Keyed to theshaft 75 is a pinion gear 76 which is in meshing engagement with ahorizontally-disposed toothed rack 77 rollably supported on a roller 78supported on the frame 15, the rack 77 being attached to the free end ofa piston rod 79 reciprocating in a hydraulic cylinder 80. Another cable81 has one end fixedly attached to an ear 82 carried by the casing 23 ofthe unit 22, and is trained over a pulley 83 carried 'by rotatable stubshaft 84 on the frame 15, the other end of the cable 81 being attachedto another pulley 85 also carried by the shaft 75. Extension of thepiston rod 79 out of the cylinder 80 causes the units 20 and 22 toeffect their upward movements simultaneously with respect to the groundsurface, and recession of the piston rod 79 within the cylinder 80causes the units 20 and 22 to effect their downward movementssimultaneously with respect to the ground surface. It is to be notedthat, when it is desired to tow the machine 10 over a road surface to asite where it is to be used to work upon a ground surface the meansoperatively connected to the soil compacting units 20 and 22 is actuatedto simultaneously effect their upward movement to the upper limit andretained at such upper limit. Of course, when the machine 10 has reachedthe site, this means is actuated to simultaneously return the soilcompacting units 20 and 22 to the lower limit of their downwardmovement. With the machine located on the site to be worked and the soilcompacting units 20' and 22 having been simultaneously shifted to thelower limit of their downward movement, the machine 10 is caused totravel over and work the ground surface of the site, and during suchtravel the oppositely-disposed weights 70 in the soil compacting units20 and 22 cause their tamping shoes 24 to alternately strike the groundsurface. In other words, as the tamping shoes 24 of the soil compactingunit 20 are striking the ground surface the tamping shoes 24 of the soilcompacting unit 22 are above and adjacent the ground surface and as thetamping shoes 24 of the soil compacting unit 22 are striking the groundsurface the tamping shoes 24 of the soil compacting unit 20 are aboveand adjacent the ground surface.

The hand-steered vehicle type soil compaction unit of FIGURES 7 to 10 isadapted for light duty work and differs over the above-describedmechanically-operable vehicle type soil compaction unit of FIGURES 1 to6 in that in the machine of FIGURES 7 to 10 a power plant with anupstanding mounting member are supported upon a pair of laterally-spacedground-engaging wheels, and a handle is provided on the rearward end ofthe machine which serves as a means for a workman to steer and cause themachine to travel over a ground surface in place of a work vehicleprovided with a pair of laterallyspaced ground-engaging drive andsteerable rear wheels and having the power plant mounted thereondisposed so as to cause the pair of laterally-spaced ground-engagingwheels supporting the upstanding mounting member with the soilcompacting unit disposed in spaced relation forwardly of andrearwardly'of the member as in the machine of FIGURES l to 6. Also, inthe soil compaction machine of FIGURES 7 to 10 the tamping shoes of thesoil compacting unit which depend from the lower end thereof are movablyconnected to the unit so that the shoes are readily accommodated toflatness and unevenness of the ground surface, whereas in the machine ofFIGURES 1 to 6 the tamping shoes are fixed to the lower end of thecompacting units.

Referring to FIGURES 7 to 10, the numeral generally designates amanually-operable type of hand-steerable soil compacting machineaccording to the present invention, the machine comprising a pair oflaterallyspaced ground-engaging wheels 103 and surmounting these wheelsand supported thereon is a power plant generally designated by thenumeral 104. Projecting horizontally from the rearward end 105 of themachine 100 is a steering means or a U-shaped handle 107 which serves asa means for a walking workman to steer and cause the machine to travelover a ground surface. An upstanding rigid mounting member is disposedtransversely of and is supported on the wheels 103 adjacent the forwardend 108 of the machine 100.

A soil compacting unit 112 is disposed forwardly of and in parallelspaced relation with respect to the mounting member 110. Projectinghorizontally from the mounting member 110 toward the unit 112 is anoutput shaft 106, the shaft 106 being operatively connected to a geartrain, shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 7, to the prime mover 104, asalso shown in FIGURE 7.

As shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, stabilizing pairs of tow bars 114 eacharranged in criss-cross relation and are disposed between the mountingmember 110 and the soil compacting unit 112, and have one of thecomplemental ends 113 universally connected to the mounting member 110and having the other of the complemental ends 115 universally connectedto the unit 112, thereby permitting vertical movement of the unit 112relative to the mounting member 110 without undesirable side motion ofthe units and in a plane at right angles to the direction of travel ofthe machine while maintaining the tamping units in a plane parallel tothe towing vehicle.

The unit 112 carries a tamping shoe 116 which depends from and extendscompletely across the lower end thereof. As shown in FIGURES 7 to 9inclusive, the tamping shoe comprises a pair of shoes 117 and 118arranged in side-by side spaced relation disposed so as to extendcompletely across the lower end of the unit 112. Each of the shoes 117and 118 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the unit 112 forrocking movement about horizontal axes 119 and 120, with two groups ofcoil springs 121 and 122, respectively, extending between and connectedto the lower end of the unit 112 and the shoes 117 and 118. It is to benoted that these pivotally and resilient connections of the tampingshoes 117 and 118 to the lower end of the unit 112 permit the shoes 117and 118 to be readily accommodated to the contour of the ground surfaceas the vehicle is manually steered and caused to travel over the groundsurface.

The soil compaction unit 112 houses a vertical thrust impartingmechanism, the mechanism including a horizontally-disposed input shaft126 on which is keyed a large spur gear 128, the shaft 126 beingdrivingly connected to a prime mover 106 by means of an individualtelescoping universal joint coupling means 130. The means 130 embodies alike structure as specifically hereinabove described in connection withmeans 56.

The unit 112 also has a stub shaft 132 which is parallel to the shaft126, the stub shaft 132 having keyed thereto a large spur gear 134 whichis in meshing engagement with the gear 128. The shafts 126 and 132 eachcarries eccentric weights 136, the weights being disposed on each sideof the gears 128 and 134, as shown in FIGURE 7.

What is claimed is:

1. In a soil compaction machine, a pair of laterallyspacedground-engaging wheels adapted for travel over a ground surface, anupstanding rigid mounting member disposed transversely of andfixedly-supported on said wheels for travel therewith, steering meansdisposed rearwardly of said member and operatively-connected thereto, asoil compacting unit disposed forwardly of and in parallel spacedrelation with respect to said member, said unit having a tamping shoedepending from the lower end, and a vertical thrust-applying mechanismwithin said unit and operatively-connected to said unit for impartingupand-down movement to said shoe with respect to said ground surface, aplurality of pairs of stabilizing bars each pair disposed in criss-crossrelation positioned between said mounting member and said unit and beinguniversallyconnected at each of their complemental ends to said memberor said units for permitting vertical movement of said unit relative tosaid member and rotational movement to a degree such that the unit isaccommodated to the contour of the ground surface being worked withoutside motion, said unit having a horizontal input shaft projectingtherefrom toward said unit, a horizontal output shaft end projecting outof said member toward said unit,

and an individual telescoping universal joint coupling connecting saidoutput shaft end to said input shaft, and another soil compacting unitof a like construction as said first-named unit and disposed rearwardlyof and in parallel spaced relation with respect to said member, anotherplurality of pairs of stabilizing bars each pair disposed in criss-crossrelation positioned between said mounting member and said other unit andbeing universally connected at each of their complemental ends to saidmember or said other unit for permitting vertical movement of said otherunit relative to said member and rotational movement to a degree suchthat the unit is accommodated to the contour of the ground surface beingworked without side motion, said other unit having its horizontal inputshaft also projecting therefrom toward said other unit, and saidhorizontal output shaft having also an end projecting from said membertoward said other unit and an individual telescoping universal jointcoupling connecting said last-named input shaft to said last-namedoutput shaft end.

2. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein saidsteering means comprises a mechanicallyoperated work vehicle providedwith a pair of laterallyspaced ground-engaging drive and steerable rearwheels positioned rearwardly of said other unit and operativelyconnected to said mounting member.

3. The soil compaction machine according to claim 2 which includes inaddition means operatively connected to said units and said mountingmember and said vehicle for effecting simultaneous upward and downwardmovement of said units relative to said ground surface.

4. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein the tampingshoe on each of said soil compacting units embodies a shoe extendingalong the lower end of each unit and fixedly attached to the unit.

5. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein the verticalthrust-applying mechanism in said one and other soil compacting unitsare disposed so as to produce a balanced flywheel effect with respect tosaid horizontal output shaft.

6. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein each of thevertical thrust-applying mechanisms includes eccentrically-mountedweights, the weights of the respective mechanisms being disposed so asto produce a balanced flywheel eifect with respect to said horizontaloutput shaft.

7. In a soil compaction machine, a pair of laterallyspacedground-engaging wheels adapted for travel over a ground surface, anupstanding rigid mounting member disposed transversely of andfixedly-supported on said wheels for travel therewith, steering meansdisposed rearwardly of said member and operatively-connected thereto,and a soil compacting unit disposed forwardly of and in parallel spacedrelation with respect to said member, said unit having a tamping shoedepending from the lower end, and a vertical thrust-applying mechanismwithin said unit and operatively-connected to said unit for impartingup-an'd-down movement to said shoe with respect to said ground surface,a lurality of pairs of stabilizing bars each pair disposed incriss-cross relation positioned between said mounting member and saidunit and being universally-connected at each of their complemental endsto said member or said unit for permitting vertical movement of saidunit relative to said member and rotational movement to a degree suchthat the unit is accommodated to the contour of' the ground surfacebeing worked without side motion, said unit having a horizontal inputshaft projecting therefrom toward said unit, a horizontal output shaftend projecting out of said member toward said unit, and an individualtelescoping universal joint coupling connecting said output shaft end tosaid input shaft, said steering means comprising a handle positionedrearwardly of said member and operatively connected thereto and servingas a means for a walking workman to steer and 'cause the machine totravel over a ground surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 Simmonds 94-49Moir 9448 Nave 9448 McRae 9449 Brigel 9448 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, PrimaryExaminer. JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

. N. C. BYERS, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE, A PAIR OF LATERALLYSPACEDGROUND-ENGAGING WHEELS ADAPTED FOR TRAVEL OVER A GROUND SURFACE, ANUPSTANDING RIGID MOUNTING MEMBER DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF ANDFIXEDLY-SUPPORTED ON SAID WHEELS FOR TRAVEL THEREWITH, STEERING MEANSDISPOSED REARWARDLY OF SAID MEMBER AND OPERATIVELY-CONNECTED THERETO, ASOIL COMPACTING UNIT DISPOSED FORWARDLY OF AND IN PARALLEL SPACEDRELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID MEMBER, SAID UNIT HAVING A TAMPING SHOEDEPENDING FROM THE LOWER END, AND A VERTICAL THRUST-APPLYING MECHANISMWITHIN SAID UNIT AND OPERATIVELY-CONNECTED TO SAID UNIT FOR IMPARTINGUPAND-DOWN MOVEMENT TO SAID SHOE WITH RESPECT TO SAID GROUND SURFACE, APLURALITY OF PAIRS OF STABILIZING BARS EACH PAIR DISPOSED IN CRISS-CROSSRELATION POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID MOUNTING MEMBER AND SAID UNIT AND BEINGUNIVERSALLYCONNECTED AT EACH OF THEIR COMPLEMENTAL ENDS TO SAID MEMBEROR SAID UNITS FOR PERMITTING VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID UNIT RELATIVE TOSAID MEMBER AND ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT TO A DEGREE SUCH THAT THE UNIT ISACCOMMODATED TO THE CONTOUR OF THE GROUND SURFACE BEING WORKED WITHOUTSIDE MOTION, SAID UNIT HAVING A HORIONTAL INPUT SHAFT PROJECTINGTHEREFROM TOWARD SAID UNIT, A HORIZONTAL OUTPUT